One thing to be thankful for this year is having the occasion to spend time with your family over some delicious food. Whether your family likes to go out to eat or stay in and watch the football game, Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday to check in with everyone during the busy holiday season. While bringing back old family traditions can be a great way to bond with your family, introducing some new ones could give everyone something exciting to look forward to! Here are a couple of ideas on Thanksgiving traditions that might be right for you:

Watch a Movie

Everyone knows that eating that big Thanksgiving dinner can put the whole family right to sleep. Before slipping into your respective food comas, watch a movie together to end the night on a good note! Add to the experience and upgrade your media center by installing comfy leather seating such as the Seatcraft Bellagio. This seating has tray tables, power recline, and a footrest—the ideal combination for your Thanksgiving movie viewing! Whether you decide to watch the movie after dinner or even with dessert, this new tradition will appeal to the entire family.

Play Games

Settle into your living room with a combination of games that are fun for everyone! If your family tends to have that friendly competitive edge, this tradition is perfect for you. Get comfortable on your couch (we recommend the Seatcraft Heavenly Modular Sofa) and watch your family engage in a round of Charades, Monopoly, or Pictionary! This will provide you and your family with a break from all screens and technology while having a good time.

Paint/Craft

Find an artistic activity that everyone can participate in. You may decide to have a finger-painting competition or even take a pottery class! Engaging your artistic senses while spending time with one another is a great way to help everyone de-stress and reconnect during the holidays.

Do some Charity Work

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on everything you have to be thankful for. Share the good fortune by volunteering you and your family’s time to a cause you all feel strongly for. Some possibilities include organizing a neighborhood food drive, donating toys to an organization for children, sponsoring a child or family in need, or even taking a trip to the nearest assisted living home!

Flag Football

Instead of giving in to the drowsiness that Thanksgiving dinner brings, take the festivities outside for some fresh air and exercise. While watching the football game from the comfort of your family sectional, set up your own game of flag football to encourage your family to spend some time outside of the house.

Here are some general rules/tips:

• Make two teams of 5-7 players
• Everyone receives a flag belt
• A team has four consecutive downs to move forward to the next zone line to gain (and earn a first down).
• When the runner’s flag belt is taken, the down ends and the ball is declared dead.
• A ball becomes dead when:
  – deflagging occurs
  – the ball carrier touches the ground
  – a fumble hits the ground
  – a snap from the center touches the ground

Put on a Show!

Gather all the younger members of your family and have them plan a small talent show! The winners get Thanksgiving treats (think turkey shaped cake pops). This is an easy way to keep the children occupied while the adults sit back and toast to everything they are thankful for. Then, take a seat in your Seatcraft Rialto sectional, relax with your wine caddy nearby, and enjoy the show— your kids surely will enjoy planning it!

At the end of the day, traditions are something that your family has done from generation to generation. Nevertheless, sometimes throwing in a little something new is the perfect way to make everyone reinvest in the holiday season! There are endless unique ideas that could bring your family together on a day like Thanksgiving. Hopefully some of the ones listed above will be making their way into your home this year!

Your Fantasy Football lineup is complete, beers are cooling in the fridge, and you’re sporting your chosen team’s jersey. It can only mean one thing – football season is in full force! But, this year, you have decided to kick up your game celebrations a notch. Your home theater is all decked out in Seatcraft Home Theater Seating, your flat screen is mounted and ready for your viewing pleasure, but what is missing? Only the most important factor to any party -the food and the beer! Your friends are already on their way over so don’t fumble on game day! This is where we come in; we have the best of the best when it comes to new recipes to wow your friends as well as the best beers to pair with your eats. Head for the end zone and make it a party your pals won’t forget!

Nachos

Oh yes, the classic snack that brings all of our favorite flavors together. You have meaty, cheesy, salty, and sometimes spicy flavors come together to create a sensational party inside of your mouth. Everyone knows that beer is amazing with nachos, but what kind is the best pairing?

Image courtesy of myrecipes.com

Since we do have all of these flavors coming together inside the dish, you will want a beer that is a bit sweet, but contains enough body to work with all the salt you’re consuming. Amber Ale would be the best counterpart to nachos, more specifically El Rojo Amber Ale, or Flat Tire Amber Ale. They will give you enough contrast to make you fall in love with the amazing flavor. Want to take your nachos to the next level? Try this recipe for Slow Cooker Beef Nachos! You’ll thank us later.

Chili

The perfect meaty dish has become essential for any football party. It’s savory, sometimes spicy, smoky, and just brings the comfort of home into your stomach. So, what beer can possibly be good enough to keep up with these amazing flavors?

Image courtesy of myrecipes.com

In order to pair with chili, the beer needs to be rich, malty, and smoky. It will supply you with as much warmth as you would desire from a drink. The best selection for you would either be Bloktoberfest from Atwater Brewing, or Sam Adam’s Boston Lager. Salivating yet? To upgrade your typical chili, try this recipe for Super Quick Chili! Not only is it quick and easy, it is also delicious.

Chicken Wings

How could you not have this quintessential game day food? You can have it any way you desire, but we all know that if it’s spicy, it’s better. Instead of grabbing a glass of water for relief from the spice, grab a cold one!

Image courtesy of Southern Living

Your beer of choice has to have the proper flavor and composition to complement the spice within the wings, or else your mouth will be perpetually on fire. We recommend a beer that is nice and refreshing, like American Pale Ale, or Bass Pale Ale. More likely than not, any sort of Pale Ale will be the perfect choice. Now, you just need to wow your guests with the recipe for Angela’s Spice Buffalo Wings! They are sure to “turn up the heat” for any party.

Pizza

If it has bread, cheese, and sauce, then it’s perfect for football. Pizza and beer have gone together like peanut butter and jelly for an unthinkable number of years, but have you been choosing the proper beer for your food, or just a kind you think would be good?

Image courtesy of Men’s Health

We’ll let you in on a little secret: you want to look for a beer with IPA next to it. That’s right, Indian Pale Ale goes perfectly with pizza! The best brands would be Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, or North Peak Diabolical IPA. Ideally, if it has hops and a hint of caramel sweetness, it will enhance your pizza’s flavor and make the meal complete. Peel yourself away from the typical delivery or frozen pizza and try making your own with this recipe for Pizza Bagel Bites! They’re bite-sized, fresh, and taste so much better than any other pizza you’ve had.

Hot Dogs

Chances are, you’ve eaten more hot dogs while watching sports than at any other event in your life. Who could blame you? They’re one of America’s classics! However, it’s also difficult to find the perfect beer to pair with it without the drink being overpowered by the hot dog’s strong flavors.

Image courtesy of Men’s Health

Ideally, you want to find a beer that has rich, malt flavors, some spice, and a hint of fruity flavors. It may sound like a strange combination, but it is wonderful! A strong contender would be Bell’s Best Brown Ale, but we love Belgian-Style Dubbel the best. We know you know how to work a grill to cook up some amazing hot dogs, but maybe you would like some tips on how to upgrade them with this guide. Go wild with your flavors!

Dessert

Most people don’t put dessert into consideration when planning their football party, but we demand it! There needs to be some sweetness in the menu, or else your guests will fall into a meat-and-carb-loaded coma. When you do decide on the perfect dessert to end the night with, you have to consider your beer pairing too! If you didn’t know already, beer actually tastes amazing when paired with chocolate. When choosing your beer, it is best to go with a Dry or Irish Stout.

Image courtesy of Food Network

The bitterness in the beer with contrast with the dessert’s sweetness, and the stout will cleanse your palate for the next bite. It lets you have the perfect first bite, each bite. We select Left Hand Brewing Co. Milk Stout Nitro as our dessert beer of choice. It tastes great! If you need ideas for an amazing dessert to serve, try Ree’s Knock You Naked Brownies! It will be a recipe you make over and over again!

Now that you have the amazing food and their ideal beer pairings, it’s time to huddle and get the party started! If you still need to upgrade your home theater, check out 4seating.com and the fantastic selections on home theater seating. We recommend checking out Seatcraft Multimedia Sofas, especially ones with refreshment consoles to keep your beers cold, and trays to place your food upon. They will make your season fun, comfortable, and organized. Enjoy your new and improved football season!

1. Turn your seating into a spooky spider web!

Is your lack of Halloween decor bugging you? Cover your home theater seating with cobwebs and plastic spiders using these easy diy tricks.

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Things You’ll Need:

• Cotton Batting
• Scissors
• Clear Tape
• Plastic Spiders

Start by taking a look at your seating. Are the seats closer together like in the Seatcraft Genesis or further apart like in the Seatcraft Rialto? The configuration of your home theater seating will determine how much cotton you will need. Next, take your scissors and cut your cotton batting in either large or small portions depending on the size of spiderweb you are going for. Then stretch the cotton out both lengthwise and widthwise with your fingers until it resembles a spider web. Create a layout of spiderwebs on your theater seats and once you are satisfied, tape them down! Finally, accessorize your couches with little plastic spiders to complete the look. That was scary easy, huh?

2. Make your room rumble and shake!

Looking for something that will go bump in the night? Upgrade your home theater with the help of a SoundShaker Seat Vibration kit! Your wifi transmitter sends out a wireless audio signal to the SoundShaker amplifier, which transmits it directly to your chair’s transducer causing your seat to vibrate. This experience can enhance any movie experience and will have people jumping out of their skin during your favorite fright-tastic movies. Why settle for seeing a movie when you can feel it too!?

3. Wine caddy ideas that will keep the Boos Flowing all Night Long!

Seatcraft offers wine caddies that are specifically designed for home theater seating. These caddies are great for the wine enthusiasts out there, and even greater for those of you looking for boo-tiful Halloween decor.

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Things You’ll Need:

• Spray paint
• Wine glasses
• Glitter
• Hot glue gun
• Googly eyes
• Felt
• Scissors
• Nuts and bolts (optional)
• Flameless Candles

Take your wine glasses (preferably plastic ones you don’t mind painting), spray paint them the color of your choice and add glitter! Once you’ve let them dry for 24 hours, have some fun with them. You can either cut out felt wings for a bat themed glass, or add nuts and bolts to get a frankenstein look. Don’t be afraid to get creative with it -, the possibilities are endless! Once your glasses are complete, you can turn them upside down and place a flameless candle on top to get a hauntingly cute candle holder. Or, you can use them right side up in the wine caddy and enjoy your wine in bewitchingly festive glasses.

4. Personalize your theater with diy wall decor!

Trying to creep it real this Halloween with fun and simple decor? Bring your walls to life with cutout bats and witches using your LED reading light!

Things You’ll Need:

• Black construction paper
• Scissors
• Double-sided tape
• Pencil

Draw a witch or bat on a sheet of black construction paper. Cut out your design and paste it on the wall to transform your home theater into a spooky wonderland. Need help coming up with a nice design? Inspire yourself with these stencils! Once your walls are covered, point your reading lights in all different directions to highlight your spooktacular home theater decor.

5. Cover your swivel trays with yummy Halloween snacks!

Looking for some ghoulishly good snacks to complete your home theater makeover? Cover your swivel trays with a spread of yummy Halloween snacks that will haunt the food enthusiasts in your life. After all, Halloween is a time to eat and be scary.

Recipe #1: Strawberry Ghosts!

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Things You’ll Need:

• Strawberries
• White chocolate
• Mini chocolate chips
• Parchment paper and tray
• Pot
• Heatproof bowl

This recipe puts a Halloween twist on a classic snack! Start by filling a pot with water and putting it to boil. Then fill your heatproof bowl with white chocolate and place it over the pot. Make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the boiling water! Once the chocolate is melted, dip each strawberry in it and place them on a tray with parchment paper. Let the excess chocolate drip down the parchment paper to create a ghostly effect! Finally, place two mini chocolate chips as eyes and one as a mouth.

Recipe #2: Googly eyes!

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Things You’ll Need:

• 1 small egg
• 1/ ⅓ cups of sifted confectioner sugar
• Mini chocolate chips
• Bowl / mixer
• Piping bag
• Tray / Parchment paper

These googly eyes will make a great addition to all your Halloween snacks. Take the bowl of your mixer and combine the egg white and sugar. Beat the combined ingredients using your whisk attachment on medium speed for 4-5 minutes. The mixture should begin to resemble thick icing. If it seems too runny, add sugar. If it seems too thick, add teaspoons of water until it reaches a good consistency. Then fill a piping bag with the icing mixture and make small circular mounds in the size of whatever eyes you are looking to use. The icing will dry quickly so place the chocolate chips as you go. Let the tray sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Now your eyes are ready to roll!

Recipe #3: Monster Cookies!

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Things You’ll Need:

• Chocolate chip cookies (or cookie batter)
• Nutella
• Marshmallows
• A knife
• Googly eyes

First begin by either taking two store-bought chocolate chip cookies or making your own! Next place about one to two tablespoons of nutella on one side of the cookie. Sandwich the other cookie on top and add to small dots of nutella on top of that cookie. This will serve as an adhesive for your googly eyes! Then take a marshmallow and cut out two small triangles. These triangles will be the fang-tastic last step to your monster cookies! Place the two little teeth along the nutella interior or your sandwich below the googly eyes. It’s as easy as that!

Recipe #4: Candy Mouths!

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Things You’ll Need:

• Red apples
• Peanut butter
• Mini marshmallows
• A knife
• Googly eyes (optional)

First, cut your red apples up into slices. Then take two slices and cover one side of each slice with peanut butter. Place a line of mini marshmallows along one slice so that they are sticking to the peanut butter. Take the remaining slice and place the peanut butter side down on the line of marshmallows so that the red side of each apple slice is facing outwards. Once you’re done, repeat with other slices! You can even add googly eyes to your creations if you’re feeling silly!